Thanks to Matt Harvey New York Mets fans have something to believe in; Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers going nowhere fast; Toronto Blue Jays flying low; Oakland can't be stopped;
New "Franchise" pitcher
Jackie Robinson isn't the only time-traveling Hall-of-Fame player to re-emerge before our eyes this season. Back on the mound for the New York Mets is one George Thomas Seaver, who won 198 of his 311 games in Flushing over 12 seasons, winning three Cy Young Awards, posting a career ERA of 2.86, striking out over 3600 batters - enshrined in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility after receiving the highest percentage of votes in the its history. Except it's not really Seaver who is suiting up, it's Matt Harvey, who's invoking the greatest Met of all-time as he goes about his work, pitching near perfect baseball thus far in 2013.
When Mets fans say that they see shades of Seaver every time the 24-year-old Harvey takes to the hill for the Amazins, that is a serious statement. It's thought that Harvey shares the "heart and determination and calming effect in the clubhouse", and a certain presence that Seaver brought to the mound, that according to those who have seen both players pitch. A lofty comparison, but I think it goes without saying that while Harvey is everything a Mets fan wants to watch right now in a young pitcher, the most exciting young hurler to come through the ranks since Dwight Gooden in 1984, there is a very long road ahead of Harvey when it comes to matching the accomplishments of Tom Terrific.
Now, that doesn't mean the kid isn't killing it, because he is. If comparing him to Seaver is an overstatement (Bobby Valentine called Harvey "the best Met pitcher to ever wear the uniform."), than saying he's dominated in his first three starts is an understatement. He is near the top of the WAR charts (if that stat floats your battleship), has pitched a one-hitter, two-hitter and three-hitter to open 2013, has an ERA of 0.82 and has struck out 25 batters in 22 innings, while walking just six. Those starts didn't come against Murderers Row, the likes of the Padres, Phillies and Twins barely touching Harvey, but even so, the way his fastball explodes, his curve breaks and his change up changes speeds in all the right places, I wouldn't expect the 1927 Yankees to be able to do much with him right now. So yes, there something to be excited about for a fan base crying out for a franchise arm.
Just for fun, let's compare Harvey's first 13 starts in the big leagues with that of The Franchise.
Tom Seaver
5-4, 95.2IP, 2.55 ERA, 57K, 26BB, 10HR, WHIP 1.176, SO/BB 2.19, SO/9 5.38
Matt Harvey 10 games in 2012, three in 2013
6-5, 81.1IP, 2.21 ERA, 95K, 32BB, 6HR, WHIP .984, SO/BB 2.97, SO/9 10.5
Harvey has the edge - if only careers could be measured by a pitcher's first 13 games, you could write his Hall ticket right now. However, baseball, as they say, is a funny game. His next test is a Friday night marquee match-up against Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals. Stay tuned.
Life in the slow lane
The freeways that were supposed to take the Angels and Dodgers to the World Series are bumper to bumper, and, at least for the moment, it doesn't look like those teams are going anywhere.
Last week we reported on the Angels second straight slow start to a season, and seven days later, the Halos continue to freefall, battling the, wait for it...Houston Astros for the basement in the AL West. Yes, they did beat Houston two out of three over the weekend, but so much for picking up steam, opening up their series with the Twins with two straight losses at Target Field. Jered Weaver is out, so there is no stopper, or any real pitching of any kind (15th in AL ERA - offseason signings Tommy Hanson and Joe Blanton are getting hammered) and the hitting has been nothing short of atrocious: that horror show stars Josh Hamilton hitting .200 heading into Thursday. Rumor has it, owner Arte Moreno is mad, and the pressure is rising on manager Mike Scioscia - if I were Moreno, I'd be mad that I gave my manager a 10-year contract worth roughly $50m - GM Jerry DiPoto can't be feeling too comfortable in his chair right now either. I'd also be mad that I didn't let the GM re-sign Zack Greinke instead of throwing all those eggs into the aging Albert Pujols and Hamilton.
Not that Greinke is helping the Dodgers right now, recovering from surgery on his collarbone after his now infamous scuffle with San Diego's Carlos Quentin. Anyone expecting World War III on Monday was disappointed thanks to something of a pre-game truce between Dodgers manager Don Mattingly and Pads skipper Bud Black. It being Jackie Robinson Day also likely played into it, but not as much as Quentin being off the field serving an eight game suspension. Time will tell if scores are settled the next time the teams meet, June 3rd at Chavez Revine, although as they say in hockey, you don't have to get him in the first shift. Do yourself a favor and watch this clip of the great Vin Scully in sorting out the ruckus during the brawl. Ten brilliant minutes.
Meanwhile the Dodgers have problems - they can't score. There were doubts about what kind of impact Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez would make in LA - but the pair have an combined OPS of over 1.000. No, it's Matt Kemp who is failing to tie the lineup together, hitting under .200 while shortstop Justin Sellers and third baseman Luis Cruz are faring even worse. Summing up their struggles is their ability to get a timely hit with the bases loaded - they are 1-19 in such situations this season.
The good news on that front is that Hanley Ramirez has declared he will return sooner rather than later from thumb surgery.
"Everybody is going to be shocked," Ramirez said on Tuesday, having hit off a tee for two days and taken swings at soft-toss feeds. "It's going to be a surprise to everybody. It'll be faster than (mid-May). I'll be in the lineup pretty soon."
They'll need him because the Dodgers are 14th in the NL in runs scored and now their pitching depth is being tested. Chris Capuano had to leave his first start in place of Greinke on Tuesday while covering first in a 9-2 loss to those pesky Pads. With GM Ned Colletti dealing Aaron Harang to Colorado recently, with Capuano on the DL, that would leave Ted Lilly to pitch, except that he's has been fighting with Dodgers brass who didn't think he was ready in recovering from shoulder surgery. Lilly thinks he is, and now he may get his chance to show it despite another shaky rehab assignment. Meanwhile Clayton Kershaw became the fastest in team history to reach 1000 strikeouts, faster than Sandy Koufax who had the record previously. Kershaw suffered a rare off night as San Diego completed a rare away sweep of LA on Wednesday, who have dropped four straight games and five of six.
Boo birds
Speaking of teams that were handed the pennant in March, the Toronto Jays have failed to make any impact on a crowded AL East, looking even worse than their traditional middle of the road selves. Of course, they're still smarting from the ankle injury that will cost Jose Reyes roughly three months of the season, still wondering just how you replace .395/.465/.526 in the lineup. Granted, that was through 43 plate appearances, however, I think we all agree that the answer is that you don't. Of course the Jays were not exactly flying high (not always a bad thing in Toronto) before Reyes went down either, looking wildly mediocre to below average in the opening games of the season thanks to a slow to get on track R.A. Dickey and trashy play from Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle. Nevermind that Jose Bautista has missed six games already including three straight with back spasms and that no one is hitting except J.P. Arencibia and Colby Rasmus - and I mean no one, not even all hit no glove Emilio Bonifacio. The Jays need a lot of things, mostly for the players they have to just play as they are able, but a trade for a bat could be in their future. Meanwhile, attendance is dropping at the Rogers Centre as quickly as the Jays drop games.
The 'O' in Oakland stands for offense
Oakland are off to a fast start, winning 12 of their first 16 games of the 2013 season. By now these A's, who lost their first two and then ran off nine straight, are well known for the bountiful arms in their rotation and bullpen, but less known for what they can do with their bats. Perception is one thing, reality another, because the A's are an offensive force, a juggernaut, scoring at will as they beat up on opponents. First in runs, first in home runs, second in slugging percentage. Yoenis Cespedes hasn't even got going while Josh Reddick couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat. Yet Seth Smith, Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie and Derek Norris are just doing whatever they want with a bat. Before you come back with six of the 12 wins have come against the Houston Astros, consider this. Yes, the A's were just eighth in runs scored in the AL in 2012, but in the second half of last season they scored more runs than anyone in the league. So really, this team has been on a tear for quite some time, and may just be the most rounded ballclub in all of baseball - a bargain at less than $70m, fifth lowest payroll in MLB.
It's also worth noting that 40-year-old Bartolo Colon has come off his 50-game suspension for PED's and gone 2-0 with no walks and a 3.35 ERA, and that means that just about anything is possible for these guys. Fans are noticing out in Oakland just how good they are - attendance has picked up, rising four places to 8 of 15 AL teams. Maybe they're counting this kid twice for his loyalty.
Sox (and chin) up
The Boston Red Sox return to Beantown for the first time since the Patriots Day bombing on Friday night when they'll play the Kansas City Royals. The team has hung a 617 uniform in their dugout in solidarity with the victims in their city while on the road in Cleveland.
Boston has been beating up on their ex-manager, Terry Francona, whose opposite number in the Sox dugout is John Farrell, the Sox pitching coach under Tito. Farrell it seems has managed to make the players comfortable in a way they were when Francona was at the helm in Boston, and in a way that Bobby Valentine never got close to matching. The change around the ballclub is reflected in the standings - they're winners of five straight, 10 of their first 14, and on top of the AL East, mostly thanks to some of the best starting pitching in baseball with a minuscule ERA of 2.30. There is a shred of controversy around the ballclub, although nothing like we've seen in the past. Farrell is "not ready" to guarantee that closer Joel Hanrahan, out of action since Saturday after straining his hamstring, will keep his role when he returns to action. The former Pirates closer was acquired in the offseason to help strengthen a maligned relief core but has an ERA approaching 12.00. Andrew Bailey has been given the nod as closer for now, and he knows something about losing a job to injury. Bailey was acquired from Oakland in the previous offseason to replace Jonathan Papelbon in the role, but played in just 19 games last season due to a thumb injury.
Meanwhile, David Ortiz could be activated for their Friday night game against the Royals. Ortiz was emotional in speaking to the Providence Journal about the events that took place during the Boston Marathon - his comments can be found here.
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David Lengel
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